Is Love the Greatest?

[james1523]

Does King Solomon agree?

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. For she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with her.

(*Proverbs‬ *3‬:*13-15‬)

The context is of course, in comparison to worldly riches. Spoken by a man who was a wise, yet worldly person.
However, if we can see that the wisdom mentioned here "she", is a personification of Christ, who is God's wisdom (1 Cor 1:24, Col 2:3), then we can say that nothing we desire can compare with Christ (our wisdom).

 

[Ezra Allen]

No, neither love nor wisdom is the greatest of all things one might desire.

To show partiality is not good-- yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.
(Proverbs 28:21 NIV)

 

[Brighthouse]

just something to consider Brother Spockrates, Is wisdom having the knowledge of what to do,or doing it?? hehe For me brother wisdom is the action from knowledge given. And we find out if that truly was wisdom by the result! example- a few months ago a sister was telling me about a relationship she had been having,and was concerned that the person she let go of,did not wish the same( in my mind Holy Spirit said to me that what she is talking about was a lesbian affair) so she went on about it for a while and then asked what do you think about that brother? LOL

Now what do I say??? Do I, or do i not tell her what Holy Spirit said to me?? LOL Well i will never learn unless I test! So I told her this."Dear sister it has come to my attention from Holy Spirit, and I say this to you now to know whether or not this was Holy Spirit speaking to me! So I ask you to confirm whether or not what I believe I heard is true? Will you do this for me?? She said why sure!!

Holy Spirit told me you are talking about a lesbian affair you used to have and be in before Jesus came into your life, is this true. Big silence! So long I asked if she was still there!! LOL She said how do you know?? I don't know sis,I told you Holy Spirit told me,she said yes that is true. So i went about encouraging her,and she in turn was greatly helped because when wisdom is shared, they know it is not your wisdom! But even wisdom takes faith! And faith takes love to even be able to share with another.

You share, not to ding on them,you share because as Jesus loves them, so also do we in him! That my good brother is how i would describe wisdom, from knowledge. Both the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom,together,and yes the word of knowledge can be seperate from wisdom,but not wisdom from knowledge. If you understand me on that one bro.

I do not believe one can ever have wisdom without knowledge first,one can have knowledge without wisdom though. example- A brother or sister come to you with a problem,you do not have the answer, but you do have an answer for them.( col 4:6) A brother comes to ask you if you understand his engine problem on his car,he describes the problem,you understand the problem,but have not the wisdom in that area to help him or her like they truly need help,so you suggest another person to help in that area. An answer, but not the answer! That is the way i have come to understand both brother.

 

[Ezra Allen]

So I read this:


Now these three remain--faith, hope and love--but the greatest of these is love.


--1 Corinthians 13:13


And it makes me wonder: Why is love greater than faith and hope? And is there anything else that is greater than these three?

So hmm ……Next verse first, this time from the Good News Bible Translation:
It is love, then, that you should strive for. Set your hearts on spiritual gifts, especially the gift of proclaiming God's message.
(1 Corinthians 14:1 GNB)


Love is infinite. For God is love. Love is also true wisdom. Love, true love, agape, charity, total self-giving, is the only thing during life in the body of flesh that is “stronger than death”


Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
(Song of Solomon 8:6 NIV)


Love speaks of forever, love never gets bored, love is never worn out. Love becomes more fulfilling, not less, the more it is practiced.


Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.
(Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 NIV)


For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
(1 John 5:3 KJV)


How do we show love for God? It is something like a man courting his wife to be. He converses with her intimately. They get to know each other through quality time spent together. Does a man get to know his wife through only asking her friends about her?

Aiden W. Tozer Said in his 1948 book The Pursuit of God -
"To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too easily satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart."

Paul said in scripture his burning desire :
I want to know Christ better. I want to know the power that raised him from the dead. I want to share in his sufferings. I want to become like him by sharing in his death.
(Philippians 3:10 NIrV)


Everything else compared to the knowledge of Christ Jesus, our Lord was considered as poo (Philippians 3:8)


Solomon said the same thing in Ecclesiastes as Paul said, he just didn't say it as nicely when he said, that compared to God everything else in the world was a “movement after the passing of gas”


I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
(Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV)


For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
(Ecclesiastes 12:14 NIV)


It is important that we constantly evaluate our relationship with the Lord. Not simple because we are afraid about losing our salvation, but because a relationship that is not in constant flow like a pool of water quickly becomes stagnant and ready for divorce.


How does one improve their relationship? One might be inclined to ask, James says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. “
(4:8 CAB)


Looking at that verse and this next one makes me want to ask………..


Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
(Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV)……………..

How does one draw closer to God?

 

[Spockrates]

The context is of course, in comparison to worldly riches. Spoken by a man who was a wise, yet worldly person.
However, if we can see that the wisdom mentioned here "she", is a personification of Christ, who is God's wisdom (, ), then we can say that nothing we desire can compare with Christ (our wisdom).

Yes, thank you for answering the next question I intended to ask. I agree, nothing compares to him. Is this comparison applicable only to who Christ is, or also to what Christ gives?

 

[james1523]

Yes, thank you for answering the next question I intended to ask. I agree, nothing compares to him. Is this comparison applicable only to who Christ is, or also to what Christ gives?

Only who Christ is, because in these things Christ does not give us anything other than Himself. In other words, Christ does not give us a thing called wisdom, or righteousness, or life, or love, or anything like that. It is impossible to take a person's own virtues and achievements and give them to another. We do not receive a thing called wisdom from Christ, we receive "Christ our wisdom", we do not receive a thing called righteousness from Christ, we receive "Christ our righteousness". We do not receive a "thing "called eternal life, we receive the Spirit of life (Rom 8:11). Many Christians are deluded into thinking that God gives them "things", when the only thing God gives them is Christ (as the Spirit), and everything they have comes from this one Spirit. That's why people who pray "God give me more love, more wisdom, give me more this and that" never get their prayers answered. Also, people who pray "God make me more this and that" don't get answered prayers either. These kinds of prayers are not found in the Bible.

 

[Spockrates]

Only who Christ is, because in these things Christ does not give us anything other than Himself. In other words, Christ does not give us a thing called wisdom, or righteousness, or life, or love, or anything like that. It is impossible to take a person's own virtues and achievements and give them to another. We do not receive a thing called wisdom from Christ, we receive "Christ our wisdom", we do not receive a thing called righteousness from Christ, we receive "Christ our righteousness". We do not receive a "thing "called eternal life, we receive the Spirit of life (). Many Christians are deluded into thinking that God gives them "things", when the only thing God gives them is Christ (as the Spirit), and everything they have comes from this one Spirit. That's why people who pray "God give me more love, more wisdom, give me more this and that" never get their prayers answered. Also, people who pray "God make me more this and that" don't get answered prayers either. These kinds of prayers are not found in the Bible.

Isn't your namesake telling us to ask God to give wisdom?

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

(James‬ 1‬:5‬)

 

[james1523]

Isn't your namesake telling us to ask God to give wisdom?

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

(James‬ 1‬:5‬)

Yes but how does God give it? Do you know of a thing called wisdom? Can you describe it and show it to me? It is not a "thing" it is a virtue of a person. How can one person give their own wisdom to someone else? Please tell me? Paul is more precise in his language in Ephesians 1:17 in that He prays and asks God for a "Spirit of wisdom".

The Bible is fairly clear that God doesn't just give us a thing called wisdom. He gives us His Spirit who gives us the wisdom:

Luke 21:15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
Luke 12:12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.
Exo 4:12 Now go therefore, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you shall speak.
Acts 6:10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

 

[Spockrates]

Yes but how does God give it?

I like your answer to the question, quoted below. He gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us. But if your intent was to use the Socratic method, it would have been wise to withhold the answer and wait to see what the Holy Spirit revealed to me.

Do you know of a thing called wisdom?

Yes.

Can you describe it?

I think Proverbs 1 - 8 describes it well. However, a more precise description might be from the Oxford Dictionary:

The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.

...and show it to me?

Well, no. It is the same with perhaps any quality one might have. For example, I cannot show you physical strength. She is not a person you can meet or a place you can go. But she is a thing whose effects you can observe. A man who has her in abundance might have larger muscles than you, run faster and greater distances than you, and lift much greater weight than you are able to lift.

So I'd say that a person who has this quality we call wisdom in abundance is one who has the experience, knowledge and judgement to make extremely wise decisions. Jesus says Solomon was such a man.

It is not a "thing" it is a virtue of a person. How can one person give their own wisdom to someone else? Please tell me?

True. Just as each man's strength is his own. So too each man's wisdom is his own. But a strong man can teach me the exercise and nutrition I might use to increase my strength. And a wise man may share his experience, knowledge and judgment with me to increase my own wisdom.

Paul is more precise in his language in in that He prays and asks God for a "Spirit of wisdom".

The Bible is fairly clear that God doesn't just give us a thing called wisdom. He gives us His Spirit who gives us the wisdom:

For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.

But let's say I'm a Bible teacher of young students. They don't know how to say the Lord's Prayer. So I teach them. Would I be giving them each me myself? Or would I be giving them what I know?

Now go therefore, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you shall speak.
But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

And let's say my students do not know what the Lord's Prayer means, or how to apply it to their lives. So I share my experience and judgment about its meaning and application. Would I be giving them myself? Or would I be giving them the explanation of my experience and judgement?

 

[Spockrates]

James:

In my experience, when I don't know what to do in a sticky situation, I pray (as James exhorts) for wisdom to know what course of action to take.

The way the Holy Spirit appears to provide such wisdom to guide my decision is to remind me of a particular passage of the Bible that has just the advice I need to choose one course of action over another.

Now I might be deceived, but this seems to me to be the Holy Spirit's way of telling me about his knowledge, experience and judgement. And this fits the definition of wisdom provided in the previous post.

But please tell me, how do you decide what action is most wise?

 

[Spockrates]

just something to consider Brother Spockrates, Is wisdom having the knowledge of what to do,or doing it??

Good question! Let's see. I think it is possible to have a great deal of wisdom, and yet not live according to it. So one who has wisdom can be unwise! It seems a contradiction until one makes a distinction between what one knows to be the truth and what one does in response to what he knows.

Solomon is an example of a man with great wisdom in what he knows but who is in fact unwise in what he does. For God gave him wisdom:

11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you.

(2 Chronicles 1)

But despite this, he still sinned:

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.

(Ecclesiastes 2)

hehe For me brother wisdom is the action from knowledge given. And we find out if that truly was wisdom by the result! example- a few months ago a sister was telling me about a relationship she had been having,and was concerned that the person she let go of,did not wish the same( in my mind Holy Spirit said to me that what she is talking about was a lesbian affair) so she went on about it for a while and then asked what do you think about that brother? LOL

Now what do I say??? Do I, or do i not tell her what Holy Spirit said to me?? LOL Well i will never learn unless I test! So I told her this."Dear sister it has come to my attention from Holy Spirit, and I say this to you now to know whether or not this was Holy Spirit speaking to me! So I ask you to confirm whether or not what I believe I heard is true? Will you do this for me?? She said why sure!!

Holy Spirit told me you are talking about a lesbian affair you used to have and be in before Jesus came into your life, is this true. Big silence! So long I asked if she was still there!! LOL She said how do you know?? I don't know sis,I told you Holy Spirit told me,she said yes that is true. So i went about encouraging her,and she in turn was greatly helped because when wisdom is shared, they know it is not your wisdom! But even wisdom takes faith! And faith takes love to even be able to share with another.

You share, not to ding on them,you share because as Jesus loves them, so also do we in him! That my good brother is how i would describe wisdom, from knowledge. Both the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom,together,and yes the word of knowledge can be seperate from wisdom,but not wisdom from knowledge. If you understand me on that one bro.

I do not believe one can ever have wisdom without knowledge first,one can have knowledge without wisdom though. example- A brother or sister come to you with a problem,you do not have the answer, but you do have an answer for them.( col 4:6) A brother comes to ask you if you understand his engine problem on his car,he describes the problem,you understand the problem,but have not the wisdom in that area to help him or her like they truly need help,so you suggest another person to help in that area. An answer, but not the answer! That is the way i have come to understand both brother.

Well, I think if would be unwise for me to say my experience is the only way God truly communicates. The Holy Spirit might speak to me by bringing scripture to my mind. He may speak to you in more dramatic or miraculous ways. Both can be genuine communication, I think.

But what we are discussing about the man wise in knowledge but not in deed might help us discern whether love or wisdom is better. What do you think is better--to know without a doubt what is right, but not do it? Or to doubt what the right thing to do is, but to do the right thing despite one's ignorance?

 

[Spockrates]

So hmm ……Next verse first, this time from the Good News Bible Translation:
It is love, then, that you should strive for. Set your hearts on spiritual gifts, especially the gift of proclaiming God's message.
( GNB)


Love is infinite. For God is love. Love is also true wisdom. Love, true love, agape, charity, total self-giving, is the only thing during life in the body of flesh that is “stronger than death”


Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
( NIV)


Love speaks of forever, love never gets bored, love is never worn out. Love becomes more fulfilling, not less, the more it is practiced.


Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.
( NIV)


For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
( KJV)


How do we show love for God? It is something like a man courting his wife to be. He converses with her intimately. They get to know each other through quality time spent together. Does a man get to know his wife through only asking her friends about her?





Paul said in scripture his burning desire :
I want to know Christ better. I want to know the power that raised him from the dead. I want to share in his sufferings. I want to become like him by sharing in his death.
( NIrV)


Everything else compared to the knowledge of Christ Jesus, our Lord was considered as poo ()


Solomon said the same thing in Ecclesiastes as Paul said, he just didn't say it as nicely when he said, that compared to God everything else in the world was a “movement after the passing of gas”


I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
( NIV)


For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
( NIV)


It is important that we constantly evaluate our relationship with the Lord. Not simple because we are afraid about losing our salvation, but because a relationship that is not in constant flow like a pool of water quickly becomes stagnant and ready for divorce.


How does one improve their relationship? One might be inclined to ask, James says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. “
(4:8 CAB)


Looking at that verse and this next one makes me want to ask………..


Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
( NIV)……………..

How does one draw closer to God?

Ezra:

Thanks for those biblical insights. In answer to drawing near to God, I think one would have to sincerely desire to do so (which might be form of love) and know how to do so (which might be a form of wisdom). But does this help us decide which is the greater virtue?

 

[Brighthouse]

An open ended view which is looked upon as having no limits is indeed wise to me brother Spockrates! So agree with you on that for sure! For me I do what i believe is right to do,and say.When you believe this,you can still be wrong of course,but there is no fear in truth to me either. And if a person is asking you a question,they must also be prepared for an answer they may not like as well.I sure am!

But there is purpose in asking that person,or else you would never consider asking them in the first place. You ask, because you place value on the person you are asking,matters not what others think or believe to you. If I am in doubt of something, then I have no faith to do it,therefore i will not do it. For wisdom to me leads to action only from the knowledge one has obtained in the first place to decide on.

Once you do decide,live with it! For the matter at least to you, has become closed,and if another wishes to subject you to the choice you made,that is there problem not yours. It only become our problem if we decide to make it our problem. example I no longer mind, because you no longer matter to me. Not to you brother,just an example of a mindset is all. My favorite saying to my brothers and sisters is this one." Never mistake my kindness for weakness" There is great wisdom to those who truly understand this saying.

For in understanding one would never wish to tempt another into ever making that mistake. lol Again brother,not directed to you personal whatsoever. I am no respecter of any person either brother, and what has stood out for myself over the years is the importance of being and staying loyal! No matter what! That is a friend to me,one who would not even have to consider whether they would be willing to lay down there own life for you.

The word friends is really one of the most misunderstood words in our English language! I understand the word,and have few! The same few which enter the Kingdom of God ( matt 7:13-14!!) to me bro.Few understand, or truly have wisdom from the Lord.many claim they do,but the fruit of wisdom cannot have both good and bad fruit from it. Hence wisdom is the answer to any truth spoken of,or done. Wisdom is knowledge completed! it is final,it has no need to ever repent,for the results of wisdom bring truth,and grace.( john 1:14) just as our Jesus does! That is how one knows what one truly has, to me brother!

 

[james1523]

James:

In my experience, when I don't know what to do in a sticky situation, I pray (as James exhorts) for wisdom to know what course of action to take.

The way the Holy Spirit appears to provide such wisdom to guide my decision is to remind me of a particular passage of the Bible that has just the advice I need to choose one course of action over another.

Now I might be deceived, but this seems to me to be the Holy Spirit's way of telling me about his knowledge, experience and judgement. And this fits the definition of wisdom provided in the previous post.

But please tell me, how do you decide what action is most wise?

So this wisdom that you receive, is not actually yours, but the Holy Spirits. It seems as though God does not give you wisdom, but merely tells you what to do. Wisdom is not merely the ability to apply knowledge, because anyone can do that without understanding what they do. Wisdom is the ability to understand (spiritual things, in context of God's wisdom). You may seek God and follow His instructions without any understanding of what you do. In other words, does this make you a wiser person such that you do not need to rely upon the Holy Spirit? If not, then you haven't received wisdom, like Solomon - you have received the Holy Spirit who tells you what to do, which is called guidance. Furthermore, when you pray and ask for wisdom, it appears that God does not answer your prayer, instead, He gives you guidance. Your experience confirms to me, what I said previously, that God does not give us "things" or makes us more this or that, but gives us His Spirit. My experience is the same as yours. I believe this is also the experience of the disciples, who being unlearned and uneducated men (Acts 4:13), had great wisdom as they relied upon the Spirit (Acts 6:10). God did not desire to turn his apostles into great men (like Solomon) or increase their own wisdom, but to cause them to be reliant upon Him for their wisdom, i.e. Christ our wisdom (1 Cor 2:7, 1 Cor 1:23-24, 1 Cor 1:30).

 

[james1523]

Well, no. It is the same with perhaps any quality one might have. For example, I cannot show you physical strength. She is not a person you can meet or a place you can go. But she is a thing whose effects you can observe. A man who has her in abundance might have larger muscles than you, run faster and greater distances than you, and lift much greater weight than you are able to lift.

So I'd say that a person who has this quality we call wisdom in abundance is one who has the experience, knowledge and judgement to make extremely wise decisions. Jesus says Solomon was such a man.

The Bible says that Christ is our wisdom (1 Cor 2:7, 1 Cor 1:23-24, 1 Cor 1:30). We should distinguish between true wisdom (Christ), and mere human wisdom which is acquired over a lifetime of experience. Solomon is not an example of a person who acquired wisdom by his own experiences. Solomon was only wise because God gave him that ability (he prayed and asked God for it, and God gave it to him). Solomon's personification of wisdom (as Christ) indicates that Solomon recognized this wisdom was God's presence with Him, and not his own acquired ability. Solomon was wise for a time but at the start and the end of his life he was not so wise. Solomon is a good example of a wise person who, because of not having a single eye or pure heart, becomes unwise.

True. Just as each man's strength is his own. So too each man's wisdom is his own. But a strong man can teach me the exercise and nutrition I might use to increase my strength. And a wise man may share his experience, knowledge and judgment with me to increase my own wisdom.

Are you saying that Christ merely shares His knowledge, experience and judgement with us, so that our own wisdom may increase?

But let's say I'm a Bible teacher of young students. They don't know how to say the Lord's Prayer. So I teach them. Would I be giving them each me myself? Or would I be giving them what I know?

And let's say my students do not know what the Lord's Prayer means, or how to apply it to their lives. So I share my experience and judgment about its meaning and application. Would I be giving them myself? Or would I be giving them the explanation of my experience and judgement?

You would be teaching them knowledge, but not wisdom. Yes, giving knowledge may help to increase their wisdom, but it is still not your wisdom you are giving them. The only way you could give them your wisdom, is if you could somehow enter into their hearts and live through them. I believe this is the apostle Paul's experience as per Gal 2:20.

 

[Spockrates]

An open ended view which is looked upon as having no limits is indeed wise to me brother Spockrates! So agree with you on that for sure! For me I do what i believe is right to do,and say.When you believe this,you can still be wrong of course,but there is no fear in truth to me either. And if a person is asking you a question,they must also be prepared for an answer they may not like as well.I sure am!

But there is purpose in asking that person,or else you would never consider asking them in the first place. You ask, because you place value on the person you are asking,matters not what others think or believe to you. If I am in doubt of something, then I have no faith to do it,therefore i will not do it. For wisdom to me leads to action only from the knowledge one has obtained in the first place to decide on.

Once you do decide,live with it! For the matter at least to you, has become closed,and if another wishes to subject you to the choice you made,that is there problem not yours. It only become our problem if we decide to make it our problem. example I no longer mind, because you no longer matter to me. Not to you brother,just an example of a mindset is all. My favorite saying to my brothers and sisters is this one." Never mistake my kindness for weakness" There is great wisdom to those who truly understand this saying.

For in understanding one would never wish to tempt another into ever making that mistake. lol Again brother,not directed to you personal whatsoever. I am no respecter of any person either brother, and what has stood out for myself over the years is the importance of being and staying loyal! No matter what! That is a friend to me,one who would not even have to consider whether they would be willing to lay down there own life for you.

The word friends is really one of the most misunderstood words in our English language! I understand the word,and have few! The same few which enter the Kingdom of God ( matt 7:13-14!!) to me bro.Few understand, or truly have wisdom from the Lord.many claim they do,but the fruit of wisdom cannot have both good and bad fruit from it. Hence wisdom is the answer to any truth spoken of,or done. Wisdom is knowledge completed! it is final,it has no need to ever repent,for the results of wisdom bring truth,and grace.( john 1:14) just as our Jesus does! That is how one knows what one truly has, to me brother!

Yes, but what is your answer to my question? Is it correct to call a man wise who always knows what the right thing to do is, but never does it?

 

[Brighthouse]

LOL bro ah no!! What good is knowing without doing??? LOL

 

[Spockrates]

So this wisdom that you receive, is not actually yours, but the Holy Spirits. It seems as though God does not give you wisdom, but merely tells you what to do.

Yes, as Solomon wrote:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths.

(*Proverbs‬ *3‬:*5-6‬)

Wisdom is not merely the ability to apply knowledge, because anyone can do that without understanding what they do. Wisdom is the ability to understand (spiritual things, in context of God's wisdom). You may seek God and follow His instructions without any understanding of what you do. In other words, does this make you a wiser person such that you do not need to rely upon the Holy Spirit?

The answer would be yes and no. There was a time in my life when I committed certain sins and was ignorant of the sinfulness of those acts. Once the Holy Spirit revealed to me they were sinful, I no longer needed him to show me that truth, again. As a wise Christian said, "Once you see truth, you can't unsee it!"

If not, then you haven't received wisdom...

The truth revealed by the Holy Spirit about the sinful nature of certain acts is not wisdom? Please explain why it is not.

...like Solomon - you have received the Holy Spirit who tells you what to do, which is called guidance.

So are you saying the truth received from the Holy Spirit about how to live more like Christ is not wisdom?

Furthermore, when you pray and ask for wisdom, it appears that God does not answer your prayer, instead, He gives you guidance. Your experience confirms to me, what I said previously, that God does not give us "things" or makes us more this or that, but gives us His Spirit. My experience is the same as yours. I believe this is also the experience of the disciples, who being unlearned and uneducated men (), had great wisdom as they relied upon the Spirit (). God did not desire to turn his apostles into great men (like Solomon) or increase their own wisdom, but to cause them to be reliant upon Him for their wisdom, i.e. Christ our wisdom

I think, perhaps we should consider Socrates guidance for a moment:

“All good counsel begins in the same way: A man should know what he is advising about, or his counsel will all come to nought. But people imagine that they know about the nature of things, when they really don’'t know about them. And not having come to an understanding at first--because they think that they know--they end up as might be expected, in contradicting one another and even themselves! Now you and I must not be guilty of this fundamental error which we condemn in others."

(Phaedrus)

His counsel seems wise to me, but also seems not to be an example of wisdom to you. For he is giving guidance about seeking the truth: One must know what he is talking about. In other words, one must define his terms. Wisdom or not, I think this is good advice in our case.

So please tell me: How do you define wisdom? You have told me what it is not. For you said it is not guidance. You have told me its source. For you said I may receive it only from the Holy Spirit. You have told me what it does. For you said it causes me to comprehend, rather than merely apprehend the truth. But I'm not sure you have explained exactly what wisdom is. You said Jesus is our wisdom, citing this passage:

But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

(*1 Corinthians‬ *1‬:*24)

But what exactly does that mean? Is my comprehension Jesus? Are my thoughts really him? Or is wisdom something else?

 

[Spockrates]

LOL bro ah no!! What good is knowing without doing??? LOL

Yeah! Right? How can anyone who behaves so foolishly, rightly be called wise? But then these words the Lord spoke to Solomon make me wonder:

12 "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be."

(2 Chronicles 1)

God says he gave Solomon greater wisdom than anyone before, or after. Is it right to call a man with such wise discernment unwise?

 

[B-A-C]

God says he gave Solomon greater wisdom than anyone before, or after. Is it right to call a man with such wise discernment unwise?

Yet despite his great (God given) wisdom. He still turned to other gods and idolatry in his old age. ( 1 Kings 11:1-8; ).
Even wisdom alone is not enough to save people.

James 1:22-23;